Rising cases of Covid-19 have sparked an upgrading of Jersey’s risk status for several countries, including Spain, with a local tour operator yesterday cancelling its late summer schedule of direct flights to Malaga.
Fly Direct has cancelled all flights to Malaga between 27 September and 31 October, having already confirmed that this Sunday’s direct flights to Mallorca would be the last for this summer.
‘It is deeply regrettable that we have had to take this decision,’ said Robert Mackenzie, managing director of CI Travel Group, which includes Fly Direct. ‘However along with the health and wellbeing of our clients, in the light of the decision to move Spain to red status, we felt it is was important to provide certainty for those booked to travel in September and October.’
Mr Mackenzie said that all affected clients would receive a full refund, and said the company would now focus on its holiday programme for 2021.
Spain went past Jersey’s threshold of 120 cases per 100,000 people to move it from amber to red status earlier this week, while three other European countries – Austria, Denmark and Poland have been upgraded from green to amber during the past seven days after passing the threshold of 25.
Those who have spent time in an amber country must self-isolate for approximately six days on their return to Jersey and record two negative swab tests, while those who have visited a red country face a fortnight’s compulsory self-isolation.
All passengers arriving in Jersey since the Island’s borders opened on 3 July have had to undertake a swab test, unless they agree to self-isolate for 14 days.
Self-isolation is not compulsory for those arriving from green countries, although the government advice is to limit social contact while waiting for news of the test – results are currently being processed in an average of 31 hours.
The UK is currently still ranked as green, although the national average for active cases per 100,000 climbed from 12.6 on 31 July to 20.9 yesterday.
